22 June 2009

A coalition of community groups has called on the Federal Government to improve guidelines for the introduction of legislative reforms affecting same-sex couples.

Comprising over 30 social welfare agencies and community health organisations from all over Australia, the coalition has written to the Minister for Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin and Minister for Human Services Chris Bowen in response to communication it recently received from the Government about the reforms which come into effect on July 1.

The coalition, which has been campaigning for months around the changes, is seeking further clarification on several important issues. Both ministers have been asked to outline how Centrelink will ensure that “outing” of elderly customers will not occur, to reconsider their decision not to extend health care cards for same-sex couples losing their pensions, and detail what will be done to ensure people don’t unfairly accrue debts to Centrelink.

Approaches to the government are being made by representatives from ACON, Australia’s largest community-based gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender health organisation, and the Australian Coalition for Equality (ACE).

To overcome confusion about how Centrelink will assess whether a person is in a same-sex relationship, the coalition has called for a series of scenarios and likely assessment outcomes to be made public through the updated Social Security Guide. Clarification has also been sought regarding how the government will handle debt that may be incurred from 1 July 2009.

ACON CEO Stevie Clayton says the coalition is particularly concerned about reports that couples are being given conflicting advice. “ACON has been receiving reports of couples being turned away from Centrelink offices and being asked to come back after July 1,” Ms Clayton says. “However, debts may be incurred if forms are not provided by July 1. The government must ensure that people are being given the right information when they’re contacting Centrelink about the changes.“

ACE spokesperson Corey Irlam said conversations with government were positive, but action was needed urgently. “The Rudd government should be proud of its 2008 package of reform to 85 laws. However, for the most vulnerable members of our community who cannot return to work due to their age or illness, we’re asking the government to reconsider some simple measures to help people transition to their new financial arrangements. It’s only a week until 1 July, so the government needs to act now.”

Ms Clayton also raised concerns about the impact of the loss of health care cards for people suffering from long term illness. “The loss of a health care card conservatively could result in over $300 additional costs per month. For a person living with a long term illness like HIV, the financial impact of this change could mean huge personal stress and stress on their relationship. The government needs to ease the burden of change on these vulnerable people by introducing a compassionate approach to handling their situation.”

A full copy of the joint letter from the two Ministers along with the response from ACON and ACE is available on the ACON website: www.acon.org.au/pensions